


Found Family

by No1DigiBakuFan



Series: Autistic Keith with Helpful Lance [16]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Autistic Pidge (Voltron), Comfort, Coming Out, Flashbacks, Found Family, Meltdown, Overstimulation, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 16:48:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8998882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/No1DigiBakuFan/pseuds/No1DigiBakuFan
Summary: Pidge tells Allura how Hunk and Lance found out Lance wasn't the only neurodivergent kid on the team.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Since it's Christmas Eve, here's double the updates. (Why do I always make Pidge suffer though?)
> 
> Send in prompts please.

“So, Pidge?” Allura called, “You wouldn’t mind if I asked you a few things, would you?”

Pidge shrugged, “You can ask, but I can’t promise to answer.”

“Yes, of course.” Allura coughed into her hand, “How did Lance and Hunk discover you were neurodivergent?”

Pidge stopped typing on the laptop and turned to face her, “You wanna know about that?”

Allura blinked, “I’m sorry, was that rude?”

Pidge’s head shook, “No, not exactly. I just didn’t think anyone would be interested, but if you wanna know, sure. It started like this…”

* * *

_ Pidge tapped the pencil on the table, yawning. The teacher hadn’t gotten in yet and the assistant was just sitting at his desk and grading homework. Hunk and Lance were talking in hushed whispers, as were the rest of the class. _

“Typical setting in a typical school on Earth.”

_ That was when Pidge heard it. _

_ “Actually, Gunderson mouthed off at Iverson about the Kerberos mission again.” _

_ “Ugg, when the hell is he going to cut it out? That was a failure and a waste of good genetics, I mean, have you seen Shiro? The Holt boy wasn’t too bad either and now look at ‘em! Wasting away in space.” _

_ Pidge’s eyes filled with angry tears at every word. _

_ “Kinda a shame, really. They got the looks, but they’re missing the brain cells required to make them worthy of space.” _

_ The lights were getting too bright, the words were giving Pidge a headache, it was too much, too much, too much- _

_ “Let the genes die, we don’t need failures like that in the gene pool.” _

_ Pidge stood up from the chair and ran, shouting something about a bathroom break as the door slammed shut. _

“These people didn’t know anything about my family or me and they still refused to call me by my name. They insulted the people I cared about most and all I could do was sit there and watch. It made me feel so powerless. In that moment, I felt weaker than I ever had before. In that moment, I was sure...”

_ Pidge ran into a closet and collapsed to the floor, mouth covered and sobs leaving at every breath. _

_ “I want to die!” Pidge repeated, pale hands muffling the sounds, “I want my brother, I want my mother, I want my father, I want my dog, my stim toys, my life back! I wish they never went on that stupid mission and that I never realized I wasn’t their perfect little girl! I WANT TO DIE!” _

_ Pidge kept screaming things like that, alone in the dark of the closet where no one cared, no one was wanted and no one was loved. Pidge cried, voice hoarse from the anguish that had no place to go. _

_ A single knock broke the spell, “Pidge, you in there?” _

_ “GO AWAY!” Pidge screamed, “I KNOW EVERYONE HATES ME, JUST LET ME REST IN FUCKING PEACE!” _

_ “Pidge, we don’t hate you.” Hunk called, voice calm. _

_ “We love you, man.” Lance added, “And we’re gonna sit here and wait for you.” _

_ “GO TO FUCKING CLASS ALREADY, JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!” Pidge shouted, “THEY’RE JUST EMPTY WORDS, I KNOW YOU DON’T MEAN IT! NO ONE LOVES ME AND NO ONE CARES, NOW FUCK OFF!” _

_ There were sounds of shuffling and then no more. Pidge continued to cry, cursing emotions, fate and everything else that went wrong. _

“I hated myself in that moment. I hated how I repaid two people who tried to help me. I hated how I couldn't do anything. It was in that moment, when I felt most alone, that those two were there for me.”

_ “You know what’s really cool about Pidge, Hunk?” Lance asked. _

_ “What?” Hunk replied. _

_ “Pidge is amazing with computers and other tech; that stuff goes totally over my head and I’m kinda a genius, so that’s saying something.” Lance explained, “There’s so much knowledge in that little head, I don’t know how Pidge keeps track of it all.” _

_ “Oh yeah, I hear ya. But let’s not forget, Pidge is also super nice, like. Yeah, okay, sarcasm is like a second name to Pidge but no matter what, if you’re honest and ask for help, Pidge will provide.” Hunk explained, “Pidge is actually a really great teacher, too.” _

_ “Pidge is amazing. Pidge has the biggest heart and it cares for so many things; family, friends, teammates, technology, curiosity, science.” Lance continued, “Something’s gotta be fueling all that passion and I doubt it's just the bitter coffee they force down our gullets.” _

_ “Pidge is a great teammate. A great friend.” Hunk continued, “And I want you to know we care about you. No matter what, Pidge, you’re our teammate.” _

_ “We’re totally bros, man, so come on out whenever you’re ready.” Lance finished, “We’ll be waiting. Or friends, if you don't like being called my bro.” _

“Despite how cold I’d been in the past, they’d somehow come to care about me. And I them.”

_ Pidge opened the door hesitantly. Hunk and Lance were standing outside it, beaming smiles and open arms. Pidge’s eyes filled with tears again, but this time Hunk handled it; he brought out a tissue and dried Pidge’s eyes. Lance brought out a tangle and put it in Pidge’s hands. _

_ “I know you like to fiddle with things, so you can keep it. Might calm you down.” Lance suggested, sitting back down. _

_ Hunk sat near him, leaving enough space for Pidge to slip through; he patted it, “I also know you like hugs, no matter what.” _

_ Pidge sat down between the two and fiddled with the tangle for a while. Lance looped an arm over to Hunk, who settled his hand on Lance’s shoulder. _

“That was the safest I’d felt in a long, long time. In that corridor with everyone at class, except the two people who’d become like family to me. Who were sitting on either side of me, providing shelter, warmth, love-all things I thought I’d lost. I felt, it was time to be honest.”

_ “I’m autistic.” Pidge said, “Sounds and smells are amplified, I don’t understand memes, my special interests include technology, aliens and mysterious creatures. I was diagnosed 3 years ago. I used to have a brother who bought me stim toys, a mother and father who’d watch TV shows relating to my interests with me. After I came out, though, my… my father and brother were missing, but I know my brother accepted me. My mother and I fought and she kicked me out. With nothing left to lose, I came here. And my….” Pidge started crying again, much heavier, “my dead name is-” _

_ “You don’t have to tell us.” Lance stated, tightening his arms around them both, “We don’t need to know and it isn’t our business. But I’m really glad you told us you were autistic.” _

_ “We love you Pidge, no matter what. Hell, you could be a food monster trying to attack me and I’d still love you.” Hunk smiled, “But, I think I prefer you as a human either way.” _

_ Pidge laughed at the two and elbowed Hunk, “As if that’s even possible.” _

_ “You never know.” Lance stood up and offered Pidge a hand, “You wanna crash at the barracks? It is last period, no one’s gonna really miss us.” _

_ “Oh yeah!” Hunk jumped to his feet, “I can make us all some comfort food, like ice cream, or chocolate.” _

_ Lance was still offering his hand, “What do you say, Gunderson?” _

_ Pidge smiled and took his hand, getting up and not letting go, “I say, that sounds like a great idea Mr. Fighter Pilot.” _

* * *

“...we got a lot closer after that and not just because I’d shared some secrets.” Pidge explained, “While I still spent a lot of time looking into the Kerberos mission, I hung out with Hunk and Lance more. We started pulling pranks together on the instructors. Anyone who misgendered me ended up with a warning and if they kept it up, they got a bloody nose from Hunk and or Lance. Anyone picked on Hunk, Lance and I would slaughter them. Anyone picking on Lance would get a beating from Hunk and I. We guarded each other. We were a real team and for the first time since I last saw my mother’s face before I came out… I felt loved.”

When Pidge turned to face Allura, she was crying.

“Allura, you okay?!” Pidge cried out.

Allura nodded and whipped at her eyes, “Yes, I’m fine, Pidge, I was just… incredibly moved by your friendship.”

Pidge shrugged, “Honestly, I’m not sure if friendship is the word to describe what Hunk, Lance and I have. It feels a lot stronger than that on the best days and on the worst, it’s like a lifeline.”

Allura smiled, “Perhaps the best description for it would be found family?”

Pidge blinked, smiled and looked at the ceiling, “Found family, huh?”


End file.
